Today is May Day, or International Workers Day. What better way to mark this occasion than calling for the destruction of free enterprise or pledging allegiance to Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx. Don’t you know? Capitalism is evil and has caused more deaths than communism, says self-appointed historian and Occupy miscreant Jesse A. Myerson.

On May 1, 1886, more than 300,000 workers in 13,000 businesses across the United States walked off their jobs in the first May Day celebration in history. In Chicago, the epicenter for the 8-hour day agitators, 40,000 went out on strike with the anarchists in the forefront of the public’s eye. With their fiery speeches and revolutionary ideology of direct action, anarchists and anarchism became respected and embraced by the working people and despised by the capitalists.

Rather than giving credence to disgruntled Marxists and communists on May 1, why not use this day to highlight the ills of global communism by honoring its victims?

Last night’s opening ceremony at the Sochi Olympics was painful to watch. Apart from familiar Russian songs, admittedly impressive visual effects, and great dancing, I wasn’t too impressed watching the Putin-orchestrated display. Gotta love the hammer and sickle motif-among many things-being front and center during last night’s proceedings! (Not.) If anything, the opening ceremony brought back memories of the pain the Soviet Union inflicted on my family, in Europe, and across the globe.

What irritates me (and should alarm you) about present-day Russia is its leaders’ aspirations to recreate a Sovietesque Union, its rampant cronyism, its disregard for free speech, and its refusal to condemn past crimes committed by their predecessors. I’m grateful my ancestral homeland was the first Baltic Republic to break away from the former Soviet Union.

Even more alarming than the ceremony was NBC’s commentary humanizing Soviet communism as a “pivotal experiment”:

NBC whitewashed Russia’s communist legacy in the lead segment of its Friday broadcast of the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Sochi. Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage narrated the network’s lionization of the largest country by land mass: “Russia overwhelms. Russia mystifies. Russia transcends. Through every stage of its story, it’s resisted any notion of limitation. Through every re-invention, only redoubling its desire to cast a towering presence.”

However, Dinklage continued with a glorification of the Marxist-Leninist totalitarian state that slaughtered tens of millions of people between 1917 and 1991: [MP3 audio available here; video below the jump]

PETER DINKLAGE (voice-over): The empire that ascended to affirm a colossal footprint; the revolution that birthed one of modern history’s pivotal experiments. But if politics has long shaped our sense of who they are, it’s passion that endures….

The Joint Baltic American National Committee – a group that promotes independence in countries formerly occupied by the Soviet Union – equally lambasted the Pravda wannabe for the ignoring horrors and deaths caused by Soviet communism:

The Sochi Olympics’ shortcomings shouldn’t be treated lightly. When making fun of Putin and mediocre conditions inset in modern-day Russia, remember the pain and misery the former Soviet Union wrought. Be thankful our relatively free market country is superior, cleaner, and intact.

Today marks 28 years since my parents came to the U. S. from then Soviet-occupied Lithuania. Grateful to them for instilling a love of freedom in me. They are the best Americans I know. Happy Freedomversary, mama and daddy!

Yesterday marked 24 years since the people of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania came together to protest Soviet communism. On August 23, 1939, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (Hitler-Stalin Pact) was signed – creating separate spheres of influence that led to the Soviet reoccupation of the Baltic Republics. Fifty years later, on August 23, 1989, people from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania came together to form the “Baltic Way” (Chain of Freedom) – a human chain spanning 600 kilometers (370mi)- to protest Soviet communism. It was the largest protest of its kind recorded in history. Today, every August 23rd marks Black Ribbon Day to remember the victims of Nazism and Soviet communism.

As a first-generation American of Lithuanian descent , I proudly flaunt my roots because the Baltic spirit taught me to be independent-minded and skeptical of big government. The “Baltic Way” exemplifies how individuals can unite in the name of freedom to reject socialism in a peaceful, effective manner. (Thanks to Legal Insurrection for documenting my tweets about the anniversary of the “Baltic Way.”)

We can apply many aspects of the “Baltic Way” to the modern day. The Tea Party movement proved to be effective, and now the Defund ObamaCare movement is gaining steam. Perhaps we can replicate the “Baltic Way” here in the U.S.? Why not create the “American Way” to protest big government?

You might be asking yourselves, “what is Lithuania? Is it a made-up country?” Despite boasting an exotic name, Lithuania is a real country with a rich history.

From February 16, 1918, until August 23, 1939, Lithuania enjoyed freedom and prosperity until the Soviet Union grabbed hold of it through the so-called German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact (Molotov-Robbentrop Act). From 1939 until March 11, 1990 (reunification), Lithuania was subjected to endless bloodshed, tyranny, and death under Lenin, Stalin, and other brutal dictators. Religious and/or ethnic persecution of Jews, Catholics, Christians, Lithuanians, Russians, Poles, and those who didn’t agree with Soviet communism was witnessed. The horror exhibited under Soviet occupation is inexcusable and should be rightly condemned. (I would know – my family personally suffered.) Nevertheless, it’s important to remember that many Lithuanians craved freedom and were determined to depose the Soviet Union.

Regarded as the land of “beer, babes, and basketball” to tourists, Lietuva (Lithuanian for “rainy country”) is an untapped treasure in Eastern Europe. Castles, sandy beaches, forests prime for mushroom hunting, and amber jewelry are yet to be discovered by most.

Vilnius, capital of Lithuania

Lithuanian amber

Svyturys, Lithuanian beer

If you’re looking for a unique place to visit this year, make Lithuania your top 2013 destination. Just don’t plan to bring a mail-order bride back with you.

Lithuania was the first Baltic Republic to declare its independence from the USSR on March 11, 1990. The rebelliousness that fueled this has inspired many to speak out against collectivism and tyranny.

Our fellow Americans should look to people like my parents and others who’ve escaped here to better appreciate the freedoms afforded to them here in the United States.